Vanessa called in after the team turned back from their attempt at climbing Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador. She referenced conditions not feeling safe and what she was referring to was the amount and intensity of the rockfall hazard that threatens the lower part of the route. Not too long ago, there was a…
Vanessa called in from a very nice lodge on the flank of Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo. They drove up from the nearby city of Riobamba and spent today resting and acclimatizing before tonight’s attempt to climb Chimborazo. The plan is to start at about 10 pm this evening and climb through the night, so as…
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We had to look for another climb for today after our original objective, the volcano Cotopaxi, decided to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years. Luckily, Ecuador has many volcanoes to choose from, and we were able to shift gears and climb an extinct volcano, Corazon (15,600ft). It was a…
On Thursday we drove from Quito up to the hut at the base of Cayambe, a beautiful volcano covered in glaciers and snow rising to 18,996 ft in the central Andes of Ecuador. The weather was beautiful and we had great views of the mountain as we drove up the rugged 4wd road 1.5 hours…
Vanessa Blasic called in, utilizing her ever-growing Spanish skills, to report that the team is at the hut on the flank of the 18,997 foot Cayambe Volcano. They will sleep for a few hours before awakening before midnight to start their ascent. The weather looks a bit challenging, but hopefully, the winds will abate somewhat…
Vanessa called in again this evening, this time from a climber’s hut situated at near 4500m on the flank of the peak they climbed today, the 15,700′ Guagua Pichincha. The goal of the past two days has been to build as solid a platrom of acclimatization as possible, so that they will be well prepared…
Vanessa Blasic called in after the team completed an acclimatization ascent of the 15,413 foot Rucu Pichincha, an active stratovolcano situated above the capital city of Quito Ecuador. The team took a gondola or teleferrique up to the trailhead and climbed through tall, straw-like alpine grass to reach the summit. Tonight, they will camp up…
We had a great acclimatization hike today on the 13,700 ft Volcan Pasachoa, an extinct volcano on the outskirts of Quito. It was a beautiful day, but clouds coming up from the Amazon Jungle to the east obscured the views of the upper reaches of Cotopaxi and Chimborazo off in the distance. Tomorrow we’ll be…
The Blasics are building up a foundation of acclimatization while taking in some of the sights in and around the capital city of Quito, Ecuador. They toured the historical Old Town of the city, including La Catedral (the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito), which dates back to the late 1500’s. They also took advantage of being…